Root Cause Analysis Guide

This guide provides an overview of the root cause analysis process and provides sample steps used to perform one.

When looking at a problem, it is important to distinguish between the primary or root cause and the contributing causes in order to develop the necessary corrective actions to prevent the problem from reoccurring. Without thorough investigation of the problem, you may initiate corrective action that does not eliminate the problem, but in turn aggravates it and leads to a wastage of resources. It is critical to reach to the deeper root cause rather than rely only on the ones that are visible to the naked eye.

Root cause analysis can have a number of positive impacts on the organization including: cost savings through issue prevention, reduction of complaint costs, reduction of penalties, fraud prevention, improved public relations, protection of the brand and positive impact on corporate culture.